Landmark Iran Nuclear Deal Reached, Built on Permanent Verification

After weeks of marathon negotiations and years of diplomacy, Iran and the world’s six major powers announced a deal in Vienna this morning that will prevent Iran from becoming the tenth country to possess a nuclear bomb.

“Today, because America negotiated from a position of strength and principle, we have stopped the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East,” said President Obama, who believes that he and his allies got every single one of their bottom-line demands met.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who worked for two years to get the deal he sought, said, “All of us – not just the United States, but France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, China, and the EU – were determined to get this right. And so we have been patient, and I believe our persistence has paid off.”

The agreement marks the first White House success in dealing with Iran since the 1979 revolution there when hostages were seized at the American Embassy in Tehran.

The deal, which will result in the eventual lifting of many of the economic sanctions against Iran, will allow broad United Nations inspections to monitor, permanently, both declared and suspected nuclear facilities, even after the deal expires.

“Contrary to the assertions of some, this agreement has no sunset. It doesn’t terminate,” said Kerry in a detailed statement. “Some of the provisions are in place for 10 years, others for 15 years, others for 25 years. And certain provisions – including many of the transparency measures and prohibitions on nuclear work – will stay in place permanently.”

“Our quarrel has never been with the Iranian people, and we realize how deeply the nuclear-related sanctions have affected the lives of Iranians. Thanks to the agreement reached today, that will begin to change. In return for the dramatic changes that Iran has accepted for its nuclear program, the international community will be lifting the nuclear-related sanctions on Iran’s economy.

And the relief from sanctions will only start when Tehran has met its key initial nuclear commitments – for example, when it has removed the core from the Arak reactor; when it has dismantled the centrifuges that it has agreed to dismantle; when it has shipped out the enriched uranium that it has agreed to ship out. When these and other commitments are met, the sanctions relief will then begin to be implemented in phases.”

(READ the full report by Robin Wright in the New Yorker or WATCH the Obama speech below)